


Grumpy, old Alan

by RocioWrites



Series: This is what friends do [2]
Category: Jurassic Park Original Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24972532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RocioWrites/pseuds/RocioWrites
Summary: “I…” Alan starts before his whole heart stops, lungs in his throat. “I accidentally overheard a conversation Billy was having.”Ellie gasps.“You’re worried!” Ian exclaims in a hushed tone.“With his father.” He finishes.Dreadful things, mobile phones, really.“Oh.” Sarah offers in a whisper, and drowning the last of her wine, she puts a hand on his knee in silent support.
Relationships: Billy Brennan/Alan Grant
Series: This is what friends do [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807534
Comments: 11
Kudos: 79





	Grumpy, old Alan

Sarah is a lovely woman. For brief moments, Alan listens to her laugh or her cheeky comments and it feels like seeing an alternate Ellie Sattler – the kind of Ellie Sattler who could settle down with Ian, to be frank.

And probably the only downside of Sarah is that she loves Ian. Looking around, that’s actually the worst downside of everyone present in this room at the moment, he grouses to himself, deciding to keep it quiet and drowning his occurrence in the delicious red wine.

Yes, the wine Ian so amiably provided. Not the point. One does not love Ian Malcolm for his wine supply or his leather jacket and sunglasses or his quirky smirk. Like one cannot love Sarah Harding or Ellie Sattler only for their bubbly cocky attitude.

They are more than that, they are complex human beings with hopes and dreams, who have been traumatized and still decide to stick together and pretend even if for a few hours that nothing grievous happened to any of them.

This is what friendship looks like, Alan thinks. Finding himself sitting on a couch, scowling because he’s still mad at something else entirely, looking at Ellie and Sarah exchange anecdotes about working places and idiotic colleagues, Ian at his right watching them pleased, buzzy with alcohol and warmth like this is some sappy romantic comedy and not real life.

Alan enjoys this despite it all. Maybe in spite of it all.

Suddenly, there’s a lull in conversation, laughs dying down softly, a glass clinking as Sarah takes a generous sip out of it. Comfortable, that’s what this is, what this feels like. A comfortable meeting, friends reuniting and catching up. Alan is getting used to this, honestly.

Ellie’s look lands on him, the sweet crinkles around her mouth and at the corner of her eyes a testament to the most wonderful woman Alan has ever met. Her smile is tender, knowing. Her eyes, pools of a secret sparkly wisdom. And Alan is a simple man, scowling and nursing wine while his friends laugh and chat around him.

A grumpy old man. Old, so very old.

“So you won’t tell us?” Ellie questions, and her hand reaches her wine, giving him a break.

“Nothing to tell.” And for a moment he wishes he could sound convincing. He very decidedly does not.

He wishes these people wouldn’t read him like an open book.

“Do you want to talk about it?” This time is Ian, his grin is even more knowing and above all, completely infuriating.

“No.”

Sarah looks at them, quietly, searching. Oh she is a smart thing, Alan sees the gears turning inside her head, she’s going to _ask_. And Alan likes her, he doesn’t want to grumble at her about his problems.

And then she’s turning serious and Alan starts to worry. Is his scowling too much? Does he sound like he’s really _really_ not enjoying their evening?

She clears her throat. “Should I leave?”

“No!” Ian exclaims instantly while Ellie scoffs and adds her own “Of course not.” almost at the same time. It is quite impressive.

Sarah smiles a small smile, a secretive curve of lips. As if she somewhere in the past had troubles making friends and this validates her more than anything. Alan relates to those feelings, he wasn’t particularly social and had troubles making friends of his own. He knows that tiny smile, that spark of love, of being received and welcomed amongst peers.

“Stay.” He says, almost a request. “Besides, there’s nothing to tell.”

He is, to this day, not very social. However, Sarah – much like the Kirbys – is a different matter. They have something in common that goes beyond Ian and enjoying wine and Ellie’s chatter. Everyone here shares and understands that primal fear many haven’t survived, a nightmare come true capable of chasing you down and tearing you apart bite by bite. Even now, back in America, the ethereal pressure of that fear chases them.

Ellie’s smile softens, the conflict in his eyes must be evident. He wants to keep scowling, that’s who he is, grumpy old Alan. But he doesn’t want to drive Sarah away.

“Oh you can stay.” Ian insists. “I, ah. Actually you _should_ stay.”

He grumbles, but very obviously doesn’t deny it.

Hell, he adores how these people read him like an open book.

“Come on Alan, you can tells us what put you in such a foul mood.” Ellie probes. “Don’t worry.” She continues, this to Sarah. “It has nothing to do with you.”

Sarah laughs, looks at him with a benevolent tender look and nods. “I’m glad.” She humorously comments, going back to her drink. “So…” Drawling the vowel sound it seems like she’s getting ready to say something mischievous. “Ian tells me you have a boyfriend…”

She was extremely ready to be mischievous.

Ian barks a laugh, and adds breathily between sobs of laughter: “A _younger_ boyfriend!”

Sarah bats an ineffective hand towards Ian to dismiss his outburst. “Does your bad mood have to do with him?” It makes Alan frown. “Did something happen?” She asks next, serious now, even worried.

“No— don’t, don’t look so. So concerned. Nothing wrong. With Billy. Nothing wrong with Billy.”

“He’s a sweetheart.” Ian supplies.

“And you aren’t denying being in a bad mood.” Ellie points out.

And this is it, he’s trapped, slightly drunk, happy about being surrounded by friends. And definitely in a foul mood for something ridiculous.

He sighs, this is his life. And with all the messed up crap that he’s lived through, this right here is incredibly perfect. Alan _is_ being ridiculous, after all. Those words didn’t matter one bit and he’s sure of Billy’s love for him. He’s sure of Billy wanting him, he’s sure of their kisses. No matter what others might say.

Rubbing his eyes, he nods. He must confirm this for his friends. As ridiculous as it is. Better a moment of embarrassment than to ruin the whole evening. It’s not like they get to have free afternoons every Friday night – jobs, relationships, kids, therapies; they don’t have that much free time, all in all.

“I…” Alan starts before his whole heart stops, lungs in his throat. “I accidentally overheard a conversation Billy was having.”

Ellie gasps.

“You’re worried!” Ian exclaims in a hushed tone.

“With his father.” He finishes.

Dreadful things, mobile phones, really.

“Oh.” Sarah offers in a whisper, and drowning the last of her wine, she puts a hand on his knee in silent support.

She must have gotten that a lot, Alan can’t imagine she didn’t get some lash-back for dating Ian. Damn it, Ellie surely got some of that talk regarding her days as Alan’s partner. Why would they not get it? Why would Billy be any different?

Why would his father be content with young, lovable, excitable Billy romancing a grumpy old paleontologist like Alan?

“What did you hear? What exactly was said?” Ellie asks, quick on her wits.

His coherent protest dies down, he groans instead and hangs his head low, wishing he had his hat to hide his face better.

“That bad, huh?” Ian sounds completely sympathetic.

He groans louder.

“His father didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

“Alan, please.” Ellie presses, voice stern.

“I’m too old for him. It ruins his reputation in our field, every other academic knows about it, about us.” He sighs again. “That I put him in danger before, and I’m endangering his career now as well.” He pinches the bridge of his nose, avoiding all eye contact. “His father is unfortunately right.”

“Now wait a second.” Ian speaks up, mad, and reaches for him for the first time in the evening. “That’s not true.” Alan gifts him a look as if daring him to refute all that, which fair, it’s all true. “Look, you are older than him, but that doesn’t mean something bad!” Ian insists, and clasps his forearm tightly, eyes suddenly alight with something Alan can’t exactly name. “And, and the fact that people think less of Billy or you because of your relationship, it’s _their_ problem, they’re wrong, not you.”

A half smile ruins his grumpy expression. Ian is warm and honest and it ignites a tender caring love in his chest. Alan loves his friends, okay?

“And according to Billy himself-” Ellie jumps in. “-he put the both of you in danger out there. He thinks it’s his fault, actually.”

Alan has to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from widening his smile.

“I know. Billy said so himself, to his father.”

Sarah claps her hands, she is smiling in full force. “Then that settles it, right?” She looks delighted at Ian being so supportive and yes, Alan agrees.

“Most definitely.” Ellie concludes.

He clears his throat and grabs Ian’s hand for a moment. “I guess so, yeah.”

“Good.” Ian informs him.

Ellie takes the bottle, makes a show of filling every glass near her – which means all of the glasses. “Foul mood gone, then?”

He mumbles an incoherent complaint under his breath. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Alan.” She calls. “You can always talk to us, you know that, right?”

“Of course.” He finds himself answering immediately with utmost sincerity. He does know. He appreciates it even. “Thank you.”

Ian squeezes his arm one last time and accepts the filled glass. “Good. Very good.” A sip. “We can go back to drinking and laughing.” He proposes.

Alan says a soft tiny _yes_ and clinks his glass to Ian’s, a small private toast.

Sarah smiles at him, lovely witty Sarah who picks up conversation where she and Ellie left it off. Who perfectly navigated this ridiculous self doubt Alan has and reassured him just as much as Ellie and Ian.

Thinking about Billy defending him in that phone call, telling his father what Ian and Ellie so usefully mentioned just now; Alan thinks he’s good, truly, after all. Bless his lover and bless his friends.

Without missing a beat, pretending he wasn’t scowling just half an hour ago, he joins in, Sarah’s smile expanding beautifully.

This, Alan knows, is what keeps them sane. Friendship.


End file.
